Many LGBT youth can't picture what their lives might be like as openly gay adults. They can't imagine a future for themselves. So let's show them what our lives are like, let's show them what the future may hold in store for them.

Enhancing Advocacy for LGBT Youth

BETTERLegal leverages the library of over 50,000 user-generated it gets better videos that have been created in support of the It Gets Better Project. In offering their it gets better stories, contributors from around the world representing all ages, races, religions, nationalities, gender identities and sexual orientations provide invaluable, personal accounts of a variety of experiences in the LGBT community. These range from the challenges faced as youth with families and in schools, to those faced as adults with same-sex relationships, parenting, immigration, discrimination and more.

With this diverse collection of stories, BETTERLegal is able to offer access to an enormous, first-of-its-kind content library showcasing the real-life experiences of LGBT people and their allies. These videos can be used to support advocacy efforts undertaken by legal services organizations, by illustrating issues in a manner that is compelling both in the courtroom and the community.

Get Involved with BETTERLegal

Legal Services Organizations

Legal services organizations participating in BETTERLegal submit requests for it gets better videos. Each request describes the issue that the videos are meant to illustrate, and the context in which the videos will be used; for instance, citation in a legal brief or use in community education materials.

BETTERLegal volunteers then select a collection of it gets better videos tailored to the request. The videos are provided to the organization with information explaining why the videos were chosen. The materials generated by the organization using the videos may then be highlighted through the It Gets Better Project's popular social media outlets to draw further attention to the legal services organization's work.

There is no cost for legal services organizations to participate in BETTERLegal.

Lawyers

BETTERLegal aims to improve advocacy by educating the legal profession about issues relevant to the It Gets Better Project, such as cyberbullying and legal issues confronting LGBT youth. Educational opportunities are available to certain program sponsors in the form of in-house presentations, and are a component of the volunteer training program.

Volunteers

BETTERLegal volunteers are trained to search the It Gets Better Project's video library to find content that supports pro-LGBT advocacy efforts. Additionally, they learn about intellectual property, digital media and evidentiary issues important for using online video content in various forms of legal advocacy. BETTERLegal is structured to allow volunteers to participate whenever they are available, and from any location around the world.